It was an ugly first half for the Illinois basketball team, as Maryland came out swinging.
The Illini didn’t have answers for the Terrapins for the first 20 minutes of action in the Big Ten Tournament. The dynamic duo of Derik Queen and Julian Reese once again dominated the Orange and Blue in the paint. They were a force that affected Tomislav Ivisic.
Thankfully, Queen and Reese got into foul trouble late in the first half. This helped Illinois get back in the game for a bit, but that disappeared quickly. This was not a good first half of basketball.
Here is the Illinois basketball good and bad from the first half against the Maryland Terrapins
Good
- Kasparas Jakucionis was a nice outlet
Not a lot went right for Illinois in the first half against the Terrapins. Kasparas Jakucionis was one of the bright spots.
While Jakucionis took a minute to get going, he did play well in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Jakcuionis kept us in the game with some nice shots and moved the ball around well. I also liked his ability to crash the glass, as he clearly had some urgency.
- Illinois got some big minutes from Morez Johnson Jr.
The Illini went with one big man on the court at a time for much of the first half, as we ran into some foul trouble. This forced Morez Johnson Jr. into a lot of action.
Johnson was able to hold his own too. He made a bucket, and his rebounding really impacted the Illini. Johnson also had three blocks, which is a lot to ask for against Maryland’s big men.
Bad
- Illinois perimeter defense
Maryland was torching Illinois in the first half consistently. We didn’t have an answer out on the perimeter, as the Terrapins were 8-of-14, 57.1%, from three-point range.
The frustrating part was the fact Illinois played lazy on the perimeter. We went under screens instead of fighting through them. There was zero defensive communication as well. It was an ugly defensive performance.
- Will Riley needs to wake up
Throughout the season, Illinois has established some key players. Will Riley is one of them. He has been huge for this program, but against Maryland, Riley has disappeared.
Riley finished the first half with three points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field. He did have five rebounds, but Illinois needs more out of him offensively. If he can wake up in the second half, then Illinois might have a chance to get back in this game.